By Garrett Michaelson Bradford

How good it was to be back home in San Antonio. The 37th Annual NAJIT Conference provided my fellow scholars and me with new techniques and the opportunity to meet you, our colleagues. As an interpreter-in-training who was looking ahead toward potential settings in which to interpret, I came to San Antonio to learn more about the court interpreting profession, and learn I did. The sessions on visualization, ethics, vocabulary building, vocal training, and many others were insightful and well prepared. Not only were the skills and techniques shared in the sessions applicable to the court setting, but in other settings as well. Thank you again for all your support. I hope to see y’all out here on the East Coast at the 2017 conference!

By Yeni Davila

Being a part of NAJIT’s 2016 annual conference as a NAJIT Scholar was an amazing experience. I didn’t know what to expect because all the professional conferences I attend for work are in a field I am very familiar with, but with NAJIT it was different. I was the rookie and I was going to meet a lot of professionals who have been doing interpreting for a long time. When I walked up to the registration table on Friday morning and told Susan Cruz (the administrator) that I was Yeni, one of the scholars, she said “hi,” shook my hand, and told me she was delighted to meet me. That helped calm the nervousness I was feeling.

I attended morning and afternoon sessions on Friday, where I had tons of fun, met my mentor and also met the other scholars. The day went by fast and before going to the welcome mixer by TAJIT (the Texas Association of Judiciary Translators and Interpreters) I was honored to meet the Board of Directors, including Claudia Villalba, who sought me out personally because she had read and empathized with the situation I described in my application letter.

Over the course of the next two days, I really enjoyed introducing the sessions and being a social butterfly, introducing people to one another and helping them feel comfortable. I also attended the workshops, performed exercises in the class, and received pointers from many seasoned practitioners whom I looked up to because of their abilities in this field.

I hope to see everyone next year in DC and look forward to the fun and professionalism that made this such an outstanding conference!

By Odilia Peña

Being a part of NAJIT’s 2016 annual conference as a NAJIT Scholar was an amazing experience. I didn’t know what to expect because all the professional conferences I attend for work are in a field I am very familiar with, but with NAJIT it was different. I was the rookie and I was going to meet a lot of professionals who have been doing interpreting for a long time. When I walked up to the registration table on Friday morning and told Susan Cruz (the administrator) that I was Yeni, one of the scholars, she said “hi,” shook my hand, and told me she was delighted to meet me. That helped calm the nervousness I was feeling.

I did notice that everything ran smoothly and with excellence. I’m very thankful for the recognition and financial support to attend this unforgettable conference. I’m making plans to enroll in other classes to advance in this career and, of course, to attend the 2017 conference in Washington. I’m very proud to be under the NAJIT umbrella. Thanks for all your attention at the conference!

It was a real pleasure to share a great weekend with like-minded professionals in San Antonio. It presented me with a challenge to grow in the interpreting/translating field. I met very experienced people who are still eager to learn and share their knowledge with the newcomers and remind us about the key role of the interpreter.